Mailable display package



July 28, 1953 G. C. SPARKS MAILABLE DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed Sept. 7, 1951 INVENTOR. 196 C. GMT/78S ATTORNEY.

Patented July 28, 1953 7 George C. Sparks, Chadds Ford, Pa.

Application September '7, 1951, Serial No. 245,584

6 Claims. (Cl. 20646) My invention relates to a new and useful mailable display package'and has for one of its objects to produce a strong and compact structure which can be used to hold an article or articles, especially fragile items, for shipment through the mails without the likelihood of damage to the container and breakage or other damage to the contents.

Another object of this invention is to produce a package having considerable display surface for describing the contents and, if in the medicinal field, for setting forth the advantages and directions for use thereof, as well as instructions to the medical profession.

A further object of the invention is to produce a core member of unique construction from .relatively thick paperboard or cardboard contained. within a wrapper ofthinner paper material, parts of which are pasted together and to the core member, said core member consisting of a sheet of the paperboard or equivalent ,material having apertures or cut-outs formed in opposite ends and partially severed from one face transversely of the sheet to produce a hinge and form panels of the same size, one of which is folded upon the other by means of the hinge to locate one aperture in the region of the other to provide elements of a pocket for holding fragile articles" in a manner to prevent crushing or breakage thereof during shipment.

Another object of this invention is to produce a wrapper enclosing the core to which said wrapperis fixedly attached for enclosing said core; said wrapper fashioned to provide a front,

back, closure fiapsides, bottom, top tabs and leaves,"said top provided with an entrance to the pocket which is visible through a sight opening inthe front of the wrapper, said sight opening'and the pocket entrance being formed by a 'cut-out extending into both the front and top. A further object of the present invention is to produce apack'age of the kind mentioned wherein the article holding pocket has a channel or guide formed by cooperating edges of the core panels about the apertures and the edges surrounding the-cut-out in front of the wrapper.

With the above and'other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which :thisinvention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof in which:

Fig. 1 is a detail view of the wrapper laid out fiat.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof with the core imposed on the front of the wrapper ready for the latter to be folded.

Fig. 3 is a similar view with some parts of the wrapper folded onto the core.

Fig. 4 also is a similar view after the necessary parts are folded to complete the package or container.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the package flap partially closed and indicating by dotted lines the path of movement of the tongue relative to its slot when closing and opening the flap.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the core member prior to folding.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the core after the panels are folded.

Fig. 8 also is a similar view of one type of article to be held in the pocket for shipping purposes.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the container in an open condition with the article in a position to be slipped into the pocket, a portion of the closure flap being broken away. r

In carrying out my invention as herein em bodied I provide a core H of rather heavy or thick boxboard or equivalent material encased within a wrapper I0 produced from relatively lighter or thinner cardboard or similar material that is readily foldable.

The wrapper l0 consists of a suitably fashioned blank having articulated members consisting of, first, a top end tuck-in leaf [2, a top [3, a front l4, a bottom l5, a back IS, a closure top I! and a closure flap l8 all in a straight line, said closure flap having a tongue [9 projecting from its outer end. In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, lines of cut are indicated as solid and lines of fold or score are indicated as dot and dash lines. The fold or score lines between the members in the order above mentioned are represented by the numerals 20, 2|, 22, 23,24, 25 and 26.

On opposite sides of the front I4 I provide integral articulated members each consisting of a side 2'! and a leaf 28 with the fold or score line between said front and aside designated by the numeral 29 while a similar fold or score line between a side and its respective leaf is shown at an. The ends of the leaves I2 and 28 are beveled 3 will form abutting miter joints and the other ends will be set back from the bottom l5.

To each side of the top [3 is hinged a tab 33 and to the lower end of each side 21, considered with relation to the completed package as shown in Fig. 4, is also hinged a tab 34.

At the score or fold line 22 I form a curvilinear slot 35 extending into the front M to produce a lip 36. In the upper portion of the front I4, midway between the sides, is formed a sight opening 31' having parallel side edges extending from base edge 38 to the top of said front or to the score or fold line 2| and in the top is formed a pocket entrance opening 39 having ogee side edges 40 running entirely across said top l3 and communicating with the sight opening. The ogee side edges as are formed so that they join the front It at the source or fold line 21' outside of the side edges of the sight opening whereby the pocket entrance is slightly wider than the sight opening where the two openings. communicate.

The core member 11 is produced-from a relatively thick or heavy strip of paperboard or cardboard having open ended apertures 41 and produced atopposite ends of the strip midway between the side edges of said strip. The :aperture -52 is slightly larger-than the aperture 4! and, by preference, the outer corners of the edges of said aperture 62 are rounded or beveled,

as indicated at #33, Figs. 4 and 6, while the edges of the aperture M may be straight throughout leaving sharp corners.

v The material strip of the core l! is divided into two panels M and; 45, of exactly the same size, joined together midway between their ends by a hinge -46, which is located at what becomes the bottom of the core in the completed package. Ihe hinge is provided by making a transverse slit 41, Fig. 6, midway between the ends of the strip, to define the panels, said slit extending only part way through the strip from one face leaving a thin portion of the material intact to function as the hinge.

The panel may be termed the back panel and the panel -considered as the front panel when they are folded or imposed upon one another to produce the two-ply core H. The folding; of. the panels will cause the apertures to register but because of the differencesv in size of said apertures: the. edges thereof will not. be in alignment, instead all of the edges of the larger aperture 42 will be setback relative to the corresponding edges of the smaller aperture 4! to form.- .elements of an article receiving pocket. After the core H is made up, by imposing one panel upon the other, Fig. 7, said core is imposed upon the inside surface of the wrapper front I4 with the front, panel 45, which has the larger aperture, lying directly against the wrapper front and the apertures 41, 42 in register with the sight opening 31. This sight opening 31 is substantially of the same dimensions as the aperture '4'! in the back panel of the core and the edges of said sight opening 31 and aperture M may be in alignment but the edges of the aperture 42 in the front panel 45' will be inset relative to the edges. of said sight opening.

Next the top 1'3 is. folded. over the apertured edges of the core panels, the tabs: 33- folded against the; sides of the core, the leaf l2 folded over a portion of the back of the core, the-sides 21' folded against the side edges-bf the core, the bottom tabs 34 folded in over the bottom. edge; of the. core, the leaves as folded over '4 a portion of the rear face of the core, the wrapper bottom l5 folded onto the bottom hinged edge of the core II and, finally, the back I6 is folded over the leaves I2 and 28 and the rear face of the core and pasted thereto, leaving the closure top 11, flap l8 and tongue l9 unattached.

The disposition of the wrapper front [4 against the core ll completes a pocket 41, Figs. 4 and 9, having a groove 48, Fig. 9, around the two sides and bottom of the pocket formed by the face between the edges of the sight opening 37 and the edges of the core aperture 4! because both sets of said edges project beyond the edges of the core aperture 42 and pocket entrance opening 39 will be disposed at the top of the pocket with the widest portion of said entrance formed by the opposed concave portions of the ogee edges 40 directly above the side sections of the groove 48.

When the bottom 15 of the wrapper is folded onto the bottom hinged edge of the core the lip .36. will remain in the plane of said wrapper bottom and project outwardly just slightly beyond the outer face of the package front to act as a guide for the tongue 19 as the latter is moved towards and then inserted in the tongue receiving or keeper slot 35. Upon insertion of the tongue into the slot said tongue will pass between the wrapper bottom and the bottom edge of the :core. These parts w'r l provide sufficient tension to normally retain the tongue in place for holding the package closed.

When the closure top wall I] is folded over the top of the core,,at the time the flap L8. is swung into position to permit the tongue to be inserted in the slot 35, said closure top wall :1 will close the pocket entrance and. the flap will close the sight opening 31 and form a protective shield for the otherwise exposed outside surface of the. wrapper front.

For purposes of illustration I haveshown the article 49, Figs. 8 and 9, to be shipped in the package as a relatively stiff receptacle of a well known plastic and including a body 50, to hold capsules, pill-s, tablets and the like, and a border flange 51. Such an article is placed in the pocket 4'! by inserting said article through the entrance opening 39 with the flange entered into the groove 28 about the sides and bottom of said pocket. After the article is assembled in the pocket the closure flap and closure top I! are folded over the top and front of the package to cover the pocket entrance and sight opening and form a protective shield for the contained article. When it is desired to remove the article the flap and closure top are swung back to open the pocket and free the article for withdrawal.

Because the pocket is within the confines of the opposite faces of the core H and the article is of a thickness equal to the thickness of said core and since said core is of solid material the article cannot be crushed or otherwise damaged during shipment even though items of considerable weight might be placed upon the package.

It will be apparent that extensive surfaces are provided on the front face of the wrapper front, on the rear face of the back and both faces of the closure flap for the display of information setting forth the advantages of the contained article, directions for use or other instructions, formulae and/ or other subject matter relating to the goods contained in the package.

From the foregoing it will be obvious thatv the package is readily produced from two blanked out sheets of suitable material and subsequently folded to proper shape thus providing a relatively inexpensive structure which is exceedingly effective as a mailable display package and protective device for fragile articles.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. In a mailable display package, a core produced from a strip of thick cardboard having a slit part way therethrough from one face and located midway between two opposite edges to provide a hinge and panels one imposed upon the other, said panels having open ended apertures in the ends thereof opposite the hinge, the aperture in one panel being larger than the one in the other panel whereby when said apertures are in register the edges of one aperture project beyond the corresponding edges of the other aperture, and a wrapper enclosing said core and including articulated members consisting of a top leaf, a top, a front, a bottom, a back, a closure top, a front and a. tongue and further including articulated sides, side leaves and tabs, said front having a sight opening of the same size as the smaller core aperture, the edges of said sight opening cooperating with the core to provide a pocket having an internal groove along the sides and bottom of said pocket, said top having an entrance opening therein leading to the top of the pocket, and a keeper slot to receive the tongue when the closure flap is folded over the front.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the outer corners of the edges of the larger core aperture are rounded.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the entrance opening communicates with the sight opening and the side edges are of ogee formation.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein the ogee edges have the concave portions opposed and positioned above the pocket side grooves.

- Number 5. In a mailable display package, a core comprised of two panels of thick and rigid cardboard each having an open ended aperture at the top between the side edges, one panel imposed upon the other with the apertures registering and all of the panel border edges flush, and a wrapper comprised of articulated members consisting of a front, bottom, sides and top pasted in place to enclose the core, and a closure top and flap, said closure top and flap being swingingly free and adapted to be disposed over the top and front respectively, said front having a sight opening in axial alignment with the core apertures and said top having a pocket entrance in register with the open ends of said core apertures.

6. A mailable display package consisting of a core comprised of a pair of articulated panels produced from a single sheet of thick and rigid cardboard, one of said panels being superimposed upon the other when folded, said panels each having an open ended aperture at opposite ends when the panels are unfolded and centrally aligned when said panels are folded and the edges thereof are flush to form an open ended pocket, one of said apertures being larger than the other, and a wrapper enclosing said core and including a front member with a sight opening substantially commensurate with the smaller aperture of the core and with which it is centrally aligned to thereby form a groove running around the two sides and bottom of the pocket, said wrapper further including a top member with an entrance opening leading to the pocket and wider in the region of the groove than at the back of the pocket, said wrap-per still further including a back member to permanently close the back of the pocket and also including closure members to temporarily close the pocket entrance and sight opening.

GEORGE C. SPARKS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Appelbee July 22, 1919 Lester June 9, 1942 

